So I’ve been working now for a little over 3 weeks. I love it. The actual job part kind of sucks.. getting up early, learning so much information I’ve had to find a way to dump my brain when I get home just so I can relax enough to fall asleep, being showed up by a bunch of kids ten years younger than me (they LOVE it)… But the part about where I get to do something that I’m good at, and being recognized for being good at it, is amazing. I forgot what it was like to be doing something that makes me feel like I’m good at anything. The husband and family tell me all the time what they think I’m good at.. and while that’s ok, I unfortunately have the mentality that they’re supposed to say that because they love me… I think I’ve watched too many beginning episodes of American Idol, where the poor kid that someone (usually a mom, or family member) has been telling them their entire life how amazing their talents are.. gets up and sings their little hearts out, only for them to completely fail on national television. However, when a stranger tells you you’re awesome, you (and I) tend to believe it. Not just believe it, but relish in it.. I’ve felt like I’m floating on clouds all day.
I’ve decided to incorporate this simple act of encouraging into the I Love You Project. I’ve been verbal with alot of people.. encouraging, showing interest, or just having simple conversations or listening. This holiday season, many families are struggling, some just like previous years, some for the first time. I know first-hand what it’s like to decide to skip this months electric bill to be able to wrap a package to put it under the tree for the kids to open. I’ve had years where people have given my family everything a commercial Christmas is supposed to be. Some of those years were the ones I needed hope the most. I’ve given commercial Christmas to families when we’ve been able to. I’m saying “commercial Christmas”, because to say that I was “given Christmas” seems to mask what Christmas is supposed to mean and stand for. This is supposed to be a thankful season (interesting to me, because aren’t we supposed to be thankful year round), the “vision” of Christmas has gotten so warped, it’s hard to stay on the focused path anymore. This year, we find ourselves not as bad as others, but still trying to catch up from the months of being unemployed. Every year, I like to do something impactful (above and beyond the daily things year-round), and have had to get creative this year with the lack of funds. So, in my brainstorming I’ve decided to pre-write thank-you notes to service workers (policemen, firemen, servers, bartenders, maids, trashmen… you get the point) In the note I’m outlining why what they do is so important to the community they live in, or how their choice to be in a service industry is admirable, and how it impacts me specifically. My goal in the next 3 weeks is to hand out at least 150 of them. I haven’t decided what I want the kids to do this year to remind them that Christmas isn’t really about who gets the largest amount of useless crap every year. This year instead of being thankful for what I have from November to December, I’m going to be thankful every day for everything, even the job that makes my head hurt!